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Chocolate Hazelnut Semifreddo

Description: This semifreddo from chef Sandy D'Amato is a cooked egg-rich sabayon that is fortified with bitter chocolate, lightened with cream and finished with chunks of dark, crispy, caramelized hazelnuts. You'd have to be nuts not to enjoy this one.

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whip egg white until frothy. Mix in hazelnuts. Strain hazelnuts to allow excess white to drip off. Place nuts back into the bowl, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the sugar and 3/8 teaspoon of the salt, and spread out onto a parchment-lined sheet tray.

Bake nuts in preheated oven until deeply colored and lightly caramelized but not burned, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. When cool, reserve one-fourth of the nuts to garnish the semifreddos. Chop remaining nuts into ¼-inch pieces.

In a bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks and place in refrigerator.

Place both of the chocolates in a stainless bowl set over a double boiler with the water just simmering. Make sure bottom of bowl is not touching the water. Stir chocolate with a spatula until just melted and fluid, then turn off the heat. Set aside.

In a stainless steel bowl, place the whole eggs and whisk until they come together. Add remaining ½ cup sugar and whisk in. Add softened butter and whisk in.

Set the bowl over a double boiler with the water at a high simmer - make sure bottom of bowl is not touching the water. Cook, whisking continuously, so mixture does not burn on the bottom or side of bowl, until mixture doubles in volume and is thick and creamy like soft whipped cream.

Remove bowl from double boiler and let come down to room temperature about 5 minutes, whisking regularly. Slowly whisk in the melted chocolate, the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and the vanilla.

Place the bowl in a larger bowl that has been filled with ice water and stir with a spatula until mixture is cool but not cold. When mixture is cool, fold in the reserved chopped hazelnuts, then fold in the refrigerated whipped heavy cream. If the cream has loosened, whisk a bit to bring it back to a soft peak but do not overbeat.

Set out a silicone baking pan (like a muffin pan) that has 12 (4-ounce) individual mold sizes or individual gelatin-type molds that have been lined with plastic wrap, and pour the mixture evenly into the molds. Freeze overnight.

The next day, unmold the semifreddos and wrap each one in plastic wrap and freeze until you are ready to serve. Serve topped with whipped cream, if desired, and preserved hazelnuts for garnish.